326 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



season so as to select and properly arrange those whose buds are first 

 to open in reference to those which hold their foliage longest. 



While these notes are useful for the reasons first given, there is 

 another even more interesting, and which may become useful — namely, 

 the relation they bear to existing meteorological conditions. All plants 

 are influenced in one way or another and to a greater or less extent by 

 the immediate past and current meteorological conditions. Waldo, in 

 his work on modern meteorology, refers to the works of a number of 

 European meteorologists and others, some of whom have endeavored 

 to deduce a formula that will indicate the influence which temperature 

 bears upon the phenomena of plant development. It cannot be said 

 that their attempts were by any means a success, largely because of 

 incomplete data, together with the fact that other conditions than tem- 

 perature play an essential part. Though temperature is evidently the 

 most important factor, frequency and amount of rainfall, velocity of 

 wind, amount of sunshine, together with the character and meteor- 

 ology of the soil must be considered. Moreover the phenology of the 

 plants must include separate notes on each one of several individuals 

 of a species in various exposures in the same as well as different lati- 

 tudes and extending over a series of years upon the same individuals. 

 As no such records exist, it is impossible to arrive at any very definite 

 conclusions. 



It would seem that our Experiment Stations might do valuable 

 work along this line by deciding upon a list of representative species 

 on which observations be made by responsible persons, who could be 

 trusted to take accurate and complete notes. With these brought to- 

 gether from all parts of the country and properly tabulated a pheno- 

 logical chart might be made which would indicate the approximate 

 time of the various phases of plant development for the different lo- 

 calities, and this would be of incalculable assistance, especially to 

 working botanists ; also, if accurate meteorological observations be 

 made at the same places its influence might be determined, at least 

 their relationship could be indicated. It would also be well to calcu- 

 late the relative absorbing and evaporating power of the different spe- 

 cies under consideration by laboratory experiments. 



In the absence of more complete data, the following tables, giving 

 dates of the appearance of flowers, are compiled from records taken 

 at the Missouri Botanical Garden from 1892 to 1897 ; Manhattan, 

 Kan., from 1894 to 1897, and Ames, la., during 1886, 1891, 1892 and 1896. 



As above mentioned, some of these notes have previously been 

 published, and for those which have not I am indebted to Prof. G. W, 

 Carver for those from Ames for 1896, and to Mr. J. B. S. Norton for 



